Small Town In The Big City

I generally don't like small towns. Mostly because I am not patient enough to have to travel 20 minutes to get milk (I don't drink milk, but if I ever want it, it will be right away). I don't like the lack of options. And they generally do not have even one good pizza place.

However, what I do like about small towns is the personal service that you get there because everyone in the town knows each other and stores rely on the business of the people in that town. With 8 million people in NYC you don't get that very often. Except in one place I have discovered, the donut truck.

You know the ones I am talking about. The small silver stand that sells coffee, donuts, muffins and bagels. There is one on virtually every corner. And that's what makes them so different, that there is one on every corner, so if you don't like the guy in the cart here, go 50 feet and there is another guy with the exact same donuts. So what separates one donut guy from another? Personality and caring.

I get a can of Pepsi and a chocolate donut with sprinkles just about every morning. And I get it from the same donut cart. Why? Because it's in the bag waiting for me when I get there. The two guys in the cart know what I want and they have it ready. We chat for a few seconds and I feel as though they care. Not a lot, but just enough. I once had a donut guy who refused to sell the last chocolate donut to someone else because he knew that I came for one every day and he didn't want me to be disappointed when it was not there.

I like that. It makes me feel special. When I am crammed into a subway with hundreds of other people every morning, annoyed that I am awake and sitting on mass transportation I remember that somewhere there are two nice men waiting to give me a donut and wish me a good day. That's nice. It's like a mom and pop store in the middle of Manhattan.